GFPT to PPL time

[AirJing]

Hi there,

I posted on this thread
http://www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/414288-cracked-s-sydney-considering-perth.html
about the problems I've been having flying training in Sydney.

I've now got a GFPT, have started nav training and have completed all the exams incl the CASA PPL exam.

I've pretty much written off Sydney, after 2 schools went backrupt while I was training with them and ongoing waiting for weather more recently.

I work overseas and I'm out of time. Next trip, next year, I think I'll try out Perth.

BUT - I've had wildly differing estimates of how long it takes to go from GFPT to PPL. I've also been told depending on who you talk to it is is preferable to do a nav a day and other schools say any more than one nav every two days is too much.

I've had estimates of:
School A (current school): 3 weeks in Sydney without cancellations, 4 weeks with cancellations
Minovation, Perth: 1-2 weeks including allowance for cancellations
Royal Aero Club WA: 2-3 weeks including allowance for cancellations.

RACWA would mean a new aircraft type, so maybe RACWA and Minovation both in Perth are roughly in line even though RACWA is a week longer. OTOH I'm actually flying with the school that gave me the 3-4 week estimate, so maybe I'm just crap at navs and need the extra time.

If I do it in Sydney, I don't believe only adding 1 week for weather and aircraft u/s cancellations based on my cancellation rate so far. I believe zero or minimal cancellations in Perth if I do it in Summer.

So basically I've got estimates ranging from 1 week to 4+ weeks to finish my PPL :confused:

[smiling monkey]

So basically I've got estimates ranging from 1 week to 4+ weeks to finish my PPL

Yes, I can confirm you have estimates between 1 and 4 weeks to finish off your PPL. :E Just go and do it and don't worry how long it's going to take you. It will take as long as it takes.

[AirJing]

Mmm, letting it take as long as it takes is tricky.

If it takes 2 weeks, I can take a holiday to Australia and do it.

If it takes 6 weeks, it's another case of quit my job (I did that to get to GFPT + a few navs), fly in to Oz, deal with cheesed off wife who is still overseas, continue to pay mortgage, do training, fly back, find new job, placate wife.

It's a big logistical difference.... :hmm:

[pilotwing]

I fly at minovation perth. Top notch training, reliable and decipline. Highly recommended.

[Rusty1970]

I think it is normally 7 NavEx's. Each one takes between 2 and 3 hours of flying plus prep/flight planning time. It would be very hard to do more than one a day.

So if you did one a day for 7 days then you could get it done in that time, though I reckon you'd be pretty wrecked by the end of it. You'd also need to do your PPL theory exam in there somewhere. And you'd need to perform well enough on the exercises that the instructor didn't feel as though you needed to demonstrate some competency again.

I did just the 7, plus a very short additional one as I was half an hour short on my required NavEx hours. Bugger.

And of course you need to do the flight test.

But everything depends on the weather. Given they are longer flights over a much greater area, the chance of weather interfering is higher than just bashing around in the circuit.

So, 1-4 weeks sounds like a reasonable estimate. Doesn't help you I know. If you can pick a time of the year that the weather is more likely to be OK (not sure when that is for Perth - not from there) then it'll improve your chances.

[baswell]

RACWA would mean a new aircraft type
This may not necessarily be a bad thing, considering you are looking at spending another 20 or so hours in it.

Firstly, you'll have another type in the bag for when you want to hire, but flying different aircraft will make you a better pilot.

Of course you don't want too many models during training, but switching from Pipers in GFPT to Cessnas for the Navs sounds like pretty useful extra experience.